CITES regulates the international trade of close to 800 tree species, as well as other fauna and flora species occurring in forest ecosystems. The Convention contributes to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the world’s forest resources through its species-specific focus.
This page is devoted to provide consolidated information on tree and forest species to increase our awareness on the CITES mandates for their conservation and sustainable use.
Resolutions and Decisions
Decisions 19.32 to 19.34 on CITES and forests
Resolution Conf. 18.3 on CITES Strategic Vision: 2021-2030
Resolution Conf. 16.4 on Cooperation of CITES with other biodiversity-related conventions
Resolution Conf. 14.4 on Cooperation between CITES and ITTO regarding trade in tropical timber
Meeting documents
Flagship initiatives
As of today, the Secretariat has coordinated the implementation of two flagship initiatives relevant to forests, and in particular tree-species listed in the Appendices. These are:
Click on the links above to learn more about how these strategic partnerships have contributed the implementation of the CITES forest compendium.
CITES and the global framework on forests
Resolution Conf. 18.3 on CITES Strategic Vision: 2021-2030 seeks, inter alia, ensure that CITES policy developments are mutually supportive of international environmental priorities and take into account new international initiatives, consistent with the terms of the Convention.
In 2018, the Secretariat joined the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
The CPF is an informal, voluntary arrangement among international organizations, institutions and secretariats with substantial programmes on forests.
The mission of CPF is to help enhance the contribution of all types of forests and trees outside forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development goals, to promote the sustainable management for all types of forests, and to strengthen long-term political commitment to that end.
Strategic partnerships between the Secretariat and CPF members, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), have proven essential in the implementation of flagship initiatives on the implementation of CITES mandates relevant to forests.
The CPF consists of 15 international organizations:
- Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Secretariat
- International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
- Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat
- United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat
- World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
- World Bank
The ‘CITES forest compendium’ (CoP19-CoP20)
Decision 19.32, paragraph a) includes an instruction for the Secretariat to prepare a report on what is referred to a ‘CITES forest compendium’.
At the 26th meeting of the Plants Committee, the Secretariat introduced document PC26 Doc. 13, including an outline of the compendium, that summarized all existing Resolutions, Decisions and supportive provisions of the Convention that are relevant to forest-species.
Following consideration of said document, the Plants Committee agreed with the report on the 'CITES and forests compendium: CoP19-CoP20', available in the following links in English, French and Spanish.